Life With Derek - An Alternate Universe
by InsaneWriter
Summary: What if Nora and George never met? What if Casey was older than Derek and became his teacher? What would go wrong? What would go right? Would they still bicker and fight? Read on...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So I know I have other stories to finish, but I really couldn't help myself. When an idea comes to you, you just have to go with it! I apologize for the lack of updates on my other stories, but I sincerely hope you enjoy this!**

**Plot: What if Nora and George never met? What if Casey was older than Derek and became his teacher? What would go wrong? What would go right? Would they still bicker and fight? Read on...**

* * *

Ever since she was a young girl she's wanted to become a teacher and now that it had happened it felt so surreal. There she stood on the steps of the high school she had once attended about 10 or 11 years ago, but this time she was the voice of authority, she would be the one at the front of the classroom. With a nervous sigh she proceeded up the steps and in to the building. She had taken a tour of the school with the principal himself, but that was before school had started. She did not expect to see swarms of teenagers through the seemingly narrow hallways. Amongst the crowd she spotted the principal parting through the horde of hormones like Moses parted the red sea.

"Casey, you're early," the blond haired man said without preliminaries. He was dressed in a navy blue suit and a dark red tie to contrast. He also sported black loafers and appeared to be in his mid-forties.

Casey Mcdonald on the other hand was in her late twenties, had long dark brown hair which she put up in a bun and wore a white blouse with a few buttons undone – still looking sophisticated – and over her blouse she wore a black pea coat, she also wore a black pencil skirt and black two inch heels. She sported a large black stylish satchel which had her curriculum for the first day of school and dark brown leather gloves. "I'm an early riser," she said modestly.

Smiling, the principal lead her to the teachers' lounge, allowing her time to settle in and become reacquainted with the teachers who were all older than her.

"Thank you for everything, Principal Geist," she said trying not to appear nervous.

"Please, call me Roger," he said and paused to study her for a moment. "Hey, you'll do fine, breathe." He then looked around at everyone else and announced, "Alright everyone! Go get em'!"

Too soon after the bell rang and the butterflies in Casey's stomach worsened as she made her way to her first class. The halls became less cluttered with teens which made her heart palpitate even faster. Finally she had arrived in front of one of the three rooms she would have all semester. _Here we go… _She thought as she took a deep breath before opening the heavy door to her classroom. This was a group of 11th and 12th grade teenagers with surging hormones.

One of the teen boys asked, "Are you a transfer student?"

Casey smiled slightly in amusement and placed her things on the large desk in the front of the classroom. "No, I'm your new English teacher," she replied. Then she wrote her first and last name on the chalkboard, along with her e-mail address and office phone number. The chatter amongst the teens seemed to slowly die down as she sat on top of her desk facing her students. "So…" she started. "Would you like to know more about me?"

One of the girls raised her hand and asked, "How old are you?"

Casey lightly chuckled and replied, "Old enough to be your teacher."

Then one of the boys inquired, "Are you married?"

With a sigh, she replied, "No, I'm not married."

The boys chattered amongst themselves.

"Okay, okay," Casey grinned. "Settle down please so we can get started on the course outline." She pulled out a stack of papers and handed a thin stack to each row of desks. "This is English 1A…" she continued to explain the course, but noticed that one of her students didn't look too interested. He was in the fourth row, sitting more towards the back. He had dark brown short stylish hair, was wearing a dark grey t-shirt and over that a leather jacket, with jeans and black converse sneakers. Something inside her warned her to be wary of that student.

An hour passed and the bell chimed alerting the students to get to their other classes. Casey stood by her desk, bidding her students a good day, when the boy who was sitting in the fourth row stopped to talk to her.

"Miss Mcdonald," he leaned against her desk with smirk gracing his good-looking features.

"What can I do for you, mister…" she trailed off.

"Venturi, Derek Venturi." He said abruptly. "I just wanted to introduce myself to you," he added.

Casey crossed her arms suspiciously, "And?"

"I had a few questions about the homework and wondered maybe if you could give me some ideas, over a coffee maybe?" he asked as he stepped closer to her.

She took a step back and replied, "Mister Venturi, are you asking me out on a date?"

He shook his head and replied, "No, I wouldn't dare! It's a business proposition." He paused before going on, "But hey, if you wanna go out on a date…"

Casey raised her hand as if to say "that's enough" and stated, "Mister Venturi, I don't know if you're aware of the code of ethics for faculty, but one of them is that we cannot date our students."

"I get it, Miss Mcdonald," he smirked and just walked away.

It seemed that after her first class had passed, the rest of her classes seemed like a breeze, although she had to admit that Derek Venturi had made an impression on her. She just had to figure out if it was a positive one.

At the end of the day, she made her way in to the teachers' lounge to retrieve her jacket and gloves for it was quite chilly out on that sunny Canadian day. Just as she walked out of the principal stopped her before she began her walk down the hall.

"Casey."

She spun around quickly and awkwardly for that matter, "Yes, Princ- I mean Roger." She had to get used to calling him by his first name in informal situations as this.

"I just wanted to ask how your first day of teaching was," he clasped his hands together calmly.

Grinning, she replied, "It was nerve wrecking at first, but I have a good feeling about this semester. I think I can make a difference as a teacher here."

"Casey, you're not in the interview anymore," Roger mused. "Did you have any mishaps with any of the students?"

She had a feeling that he was implying the young man in her first class who indirectly asked her out on a date. "You mean Derek Venturi? Just a minor issue that I can handle," she stated as she shifted her weight to one leg, her heels were killing her.

"Did you know that his father is one of the most generous donors here at the school?" Roger crossed his arms. "Without him we would have to cut half the schools programs."

Confused, Casey asked, "So I'm supposed to give him special treatment because of this?"

He put his hands up as if to detest, but his answer seemed to contradict his actions. "I don't like to call it special treatment. I just want you to be aware of who he is and how important he is to our school."

Casey nodded, "I understand, but I will not expect less work of him in my class."

Roger agreed with a nod, he paused and just stared at her a moment before bidding her farewell.

_So what would he have me do? I am not gonna show him more attention all because of his father, that's pathetic… If his father wants his son to have the best education he shouldn't expect that of the faculty… Right? _The thoughts plagued her mind as she drove home in her white four door, 2004 Honda Accord.

She arrived at her apartment complex on the nicer part of the city. It was a gated complex which made Casey feel a lot safer. The complex building only had two floors and was very symmetrical and modern, with foliage placed in the ground that looked a bit unnatural. Still, it was nice…

Casey lived on the second floor close to the stairs and the parking lot. She could see her car from her room which put her more at ease about living alone. She had to admit that she missed her mom, Nora, and sister, Liz. They lived in New York together and were a bit unhappy about her move to Canada.

She opened the door to her apartment and upon entering was the living room which had a small fireplace and high ceilings. The dining room was next to the living room which fit a small table for four people. The kitchen was attached to the dining room and was quite cozy with beige colored counters and white cabinets surrounding the area. The stove, oven and microwave was black, but she hardly used the stove or oven for that matter.

Casey popped in one of those "Lean Cuisine" dinners in to the microwave and walked in to her room to change in to something more comfortable. Her room had a walk-in closet which was a "must have" for her. She threw on some pajama pants, a loose t-shirt and her toe-socks. She took out her bun and tousled her hair. _Damnit, my hair is always so difficult to manage._

In that moment her iphone rang which she had tossed on her queen size bed. Jumping on the bed she answered the call. "Hello," she said in a sing-song voice.

"How was your first day?" the voice on the other line asked without preliminaries. It was the lovely voice of her mother, Nora.

"Hi mom," Casey sighed. "It was fine. I was so nervous at first though."

"As expected, but I'm glad to hear that everything went smoothly. Any students give you trouble?" Nora asked curiously.

Casey turned on her back and replied, "No, not really." After a moment she realized that her dinner was probably ready, so she stood and made her way in to the kitchen.

"What do you mean 'not really'?" Nora asked in concern.

As Casey took out the black tray of pasta and marinara meat sauce she replied, "There's just this boy… He thought he was smooth and asked me out."

"Well…" Nora paused a moment, "Can't say I'm surprised."

With a gasp the younger woman replied, "Mother! What're you talking about?"

"Casey, honey, I don't know how to break this to you, but you're a 'nice piece of ass'." That answer from Casey mom was completely out of character.

_What TV shows has she been watching? _Casey wondered in amusement. "I can't believe you just said that!" she exclaimed with a smile on her beautiful features.

Nora laughed. "Lizzie has been watching some TV series uhm… 'orange is the new black', I think."

"Oh god, mom…" Casey sighed as she sat at the table and ate her late dinner.

"Well, I just wanted to check in on you and tell you that we miss you," Nora said on a more serious note.

"I miss you guys too," and it was at that moment that Casey felt homesick. "Where's Liz?"

Nora sighed. "Oh, you know her, she's working late at the firm as usual," she replied.

"Tell her not to work herself to death," Casey said firmly.

With a chuckle, Nora said, "that's funny, she told me to tell that to you as well."

Casey smiled. "I better get going, gotta finish my dinner and get ready for tomorrow," she said as she picked at her food.

"Alright, Sweetie, I'll talk to you later," Nora replied softly. "I love you."

Casey returned the sentiment and bid her mom good-bye. _I didn't know living away from mom and Liz would be this difficult…_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I know there are some mistakes, but try your best to ignore them. Too lazy to edit these days lol. Anyway, RR! Enjoy!**

* * *

Casey's first week on the job passed quickly and before she knew it, mid-terms were on the horizon. One day as she sat in the teachers' lounge grading papers, the principal called her on the over-head intercom. She was to report to his office immediately, so she gathered all her things and walked over to his office, which was about a two minute tread.

She knocked on the solid wooden door and heard a faint, "Come in."

There in the quaint office sat Principal Roger, Derek Venturi and another man who appeared to be the boy's father.

The man sitting next to Derek was wearing a navy blue suit and long beige trench coat with black leather gloves. His hair was blond and didn't resemble the boy really; he had lighter skin and a more lanky build. His features appeared to be tired and agitated at the same time.

"Please, sit down, Miss Mcdonald," Roger said in a friendly manner.

Casey took the only unoccupied seat which was next to Derek. "Mister Venturi," she said shortly.

The young boy and older man just nodded at her.

"What's going on?" Casey asked nonchalantly.

Roger began, "Well, it seems Derek here, is failing your class. I'm sorry if this is a bad time for you, but Mister George Venturi is a very busy man."

Casey glanced at the older man and he quickly winked at her which everyone in the room noticed. She focused back on the principal and replied, "No, I was just grading."

"Is there any extra-curricular activities that Derek can do in between hockey practices?" George Venturi asked in concern.

"There is tutoring after school," Casey began but George interrupted.

"I'm afraid that won't do, it would interfere with hockey."

"What about on the weekends?" Casey inquired.

George shook his head, "Derek trains on the weekends."

She sighed, she really didn't want to do this, but she was running out of options. "What if I tutor him? After hockey practice I'll meet him in my homeroom for one hour."

Derek smirked at the idea.

Roger glanced at Derek, then back at George. "Will that work for the both of you?"

"What do you think Derek?" George asked the 17 year old.

The youth shrugged and replied, "It'll work." He looked over at Casey and shot her a half-grin.

She just looked away at George and then at the principal. "Great, so that settles it then."

"Yes, it does," George stood up and as he shook Casey's hand he said, "Thank you for your time, Miss Mcdonald."

She nodded.

"Thank you for your time, principal," said George before signaling Derek to follow him out the door.

Casey sighed and wondered what she had gotten herself in to. Was this some sort of trap? George couldn't possibly be helping Derek in trying to seduce her, could he?

The following day after all her classes were finished, Casey graded papers in her homeroom as she awaited Derek's arrival. She kept glancing at her wrist watch realizing that it was only making time go by slower. She sighed impatiently.

"Hey Miss Mcdonald, sorry I'm late, I had to shower real quick," Derek said as he took a seat at the seat closest to her desk and the chalkboard.

Casey decided that since she wasn't on the clock she changed in to some boot-cut jeans which hugged her curves marvelously and black ballet flats. Her hair was down in its natural wavy splendor although she still needed her black framed glasses. She also wore a navy pull-over sweatshirt which had the logo of her alma-mater on it.

Derek on the other hand was dressed in his usual attire, jeans, t-shirt, leather jacket and sneakers. His hair still looked a bit wet from his shower.

"Just try not to make it a habit," Casey said as she handed him a worksheet.

Towards the end of the hour, Derek went off topic and asked, "So is there anyone special in your life right now, Miss Mcdonald?"

Casey glanced at him sternly and replied, "No, not at the moment. What about you?"

"Yeah," he began.

She corrected him, "Yes."

"Yes, I do," he said almost in annoyance. "We've been dating for three months now."

Casey's eyes were focused on the papers in front of her as she replied, "Oh, a whole three months ay." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Miss Mcdonald, I really appreciate you doing this for me," Derek said seemingly sincere.

She peered at him as she leaned against the front of her desk and smiled softly, "Hey, I'm glad I could be here for you at this time."

"You must think I'm an idiot for not being able to comprehend the materials," Derek looked down at his hands before he paused for a moment then stood up and walked up to her.

"Stop it," she said firmly. "I don't think you're an idiot, Mister Venturi…"

He interceded, "Please, call me Derek."

"I'd rather not," Casey replied as he continued to get uncomfortably close.

"Why not?" he gazed in to her pools of blue and studied her for a moment.

She responded, "Because I'm your teacher, Mister Venturi."

A bit confused he asked, "So we can't be friends?"

She gently pushed him back and said, "Of course we can be friends."

"So then why can't you call me by my first name?" he ran a hand through his brown locks and continued to stare in to her eyes.

Casey had to look away and walk behind her desk, "It's a little too informal for me."

That charming half-grin graced his features once more as he said, "Okay Miss Mcdonald, I'll respect that." He shouldered his gym bag and back pack. "I'll see you tomorrow."

After Derek had left Casey plopped herself in to the wooden seat and heaved a sigh of relief. She took off her glasses and placed them on to the desk before sitting straight up. He was definitely charming and obviously had a crush on her. He didn't act like all the other high school boys, but she had to remember that he is just a kid and must keep the upper hand on him. She most certainly wasn't going to let some high schooler put the moves on her and she wouldn't fall in to the clutches of the Venturi family. What were the father and son plotting?


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Just so you know, I have no idea where this is going yet. The characters are taking the lead... So any suggestions are welcome! Thanks for reading! Pardon the mistakes.**

* * *

One day as Casey walked down one of the halls, a fight between two boys broke out. She quickly ran to intervene and found that it was Derek and one of the football jocks. She had no idea what they were fighting about and frankly didn't care. She pulled Derek and the other boy apart and exclaimed, "Stop this at once!"

"He started it," Derek shouted.

The other boy tried to lunge himself at Derek, but Casey stood in his way and said, "Stop it or I'm sending both of you to the principal's office."

Heaving furiously, the brown haired football jock just walked away.

Casey turned to Derek questioningly. "What was that about, Mister Venturi?"

"Don't worry about it, Miss Mcdonald," He said with a sigh. "I'll see you later."

Crossing her arms, Casey watched him walk away as the on-looking students scattered.

The next few hours seemed to pass at a glacier pace, but then it finally came time to tutor Derek. She smiled softly at him and greeted him as he walked in and sat down in his usual spot.

Casey just stared at him a moment before she spoke, "So, do you want to talk about what happened earlier?"

He just stood up, walked up to her and hugged her tightly. He seemed deeply disturbed about something. Casey on the other hand felt conflicted about what was happening. Should she push him away or should she let it happen?

"My parents are getting a divorce," Derek said, his voice cracking a little.

"Oh, Derek," she said and returned his embrace. "I'm so sorry…"

He pulled away wiping a tear away from his eye and sat back down. "So, what're we learning today?"

"Are you sure you're up to this?"

He nodded and grinned slightly.

The hour passed and as the two exited the classroom, Derek pointed out to her, "You called me 'Derek'."

She turned off the light and locked the door. The whole school was empty and incredibly dim lit as usual. "I did?" Casey questioned a bit dumbfounded.

"Yeah, you did," he said with smile as he walked beside her down the hall. It was quiet for a moment before he inquired, "So, I can call you 'Casey' right?"

Casey glanced over at him and said nothing. She couldn't say 'no' because she felt sorry for him, but then again she couldn't say 'yes'. "Look, I'm sorry about your parents, but…" she began.

He interrupted, "you think I could maybe get a ride home?"

"What happened to your car?" she asked as they stepped outside in to the school parking lot. She was wearing black converse, jeans, sweatshirt and blue jean jacket. She hardly looked the part of a teacher that day, but it was 'casual dress day' for all teachers. She did appear to be younger in that attire. One of the senior teachers had even mistaken her for a student.

"My dad dropped me off, my mom was supposed to pick me up," he took a look at his iphone for text messages. "She hasn't texted me back."

Casey sighed, "Alright, I'll give you a ride."

"I'll totally give you money for gas," Derek said as they made their way up to her car.

"No, don't worry about it, Der- Mister Venturi," she said, in hopes that he would get the hint.

The young man just smirked and got in to the car with her.

The car ride started off in silence with the radio playing barely audible in the background. Derek sat in the driver seat on his phone as Casey drove cautiously as usual.

"What street do you live on?" she asked him breaking the quiet.

He told her in one quick sentence.

"Isn't that neighborhood gated?" Casey tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, it is." He nodded as he tucked his phone back in to his jacket pocket.

They soon arrived at the entrance of the community which was surrounded by lovely foliage, making the place look welcoming. Derek typed in the code to the gate and they drove through.

"There's my house over there," Derek said pointing to a large house in the corner of a cul-de-sac.

Casey had to admit that the house was impressive, it had a four car garage and looked very modern and unique like the rest of the homes in the neighborhood. The front door appeared to be dark oak and almost every aspect of the house was symmetrically aligned.

She pulled the car in to the drive way and shifted in to park. "Here's where we say 'good-bye'," she said not looking over at him.

"Do you want to come in for a while?" he asked.

"Good-bye Mister Venturi," she said coldly.

"Ouch," he murmured. "Alright then, I'll see you Monday, Miss Mcdonald," and in saying that he climbed out of the car and walked in to his house quickly.

She felt kind of bad and she didn't understand why… It was difficult being in this situation. She wanted to keep things at a teacher-student level, but he was making things challenging for her. No, she would not give in to this game he was playing. She backed out of the driveway and headed home.

The next day was Saturday and Casey would take full advantage of her days off by just lying around watching chick-flicks and eating junk-food. She definitely had to work extra hard that week in the gym. While lounging on her beige suede leather couch, watching 'Dear John' on her 40 inch flat screen TV, - she was wearing her pink pajama pants and a loose white t-shirt - her doorbell rang. _A visitor… Must be the neighbor or something, _she thought as she headed over to the door. Her hair was up in a messy bun. She opened the door and there in front of her stood George Venturi in his usual suit and tie attire.

In sheer surprise she crossed her arms embarrassed by how she was dressed. "Mister Venturi, I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting you," she could feel her cheeks heating up.

He chuckled lightly, "It's quite alright Miss Mcdonald, may I come in for a moment?"

She nodded and seated him in her small dining room, but before she sat down she said, "I'm sorry, let me just freshen up a bit before we talk."

He nodded and she walked away in to her room, quickly changing in to something more presentable. Dark jeans and a casual button up blouse, she also combed out her hair. She put on her grey 'Toms' slip-on flats and sat across from George.

"Could I offer you some coffee, tea, maybe some water?" she asked him before he began to speak.

George shook his head replying, "No, Miss Mcdonald, it's quite alright." Pausing for a moment he began to stare at her. "I bet you're wondering why I'm here, and on one of your days off."

She clasped her hands together and gently laid them on the table directly in front of herself. "With all due respect, Mister Venturi, but yes, I am wondering why you're here. Is it in regards to your son? Are you not happy with our tutoring schedule?"

"Not at all, Miss Mcdonald," George grinned. "You can relax; I've come to ask for a favor."

Puzzled, she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. "What more could I do? My schedule is tremendously intense and I don't have nearly enough seniority…"

George cut her off saying, "I'm sure my son has informed you of the divorce."

Taken aback she nodded.

"Well, his mother is moving to New York and I have decided to move to another part of Canada which is unfortunately outside of the school district, the counselor recommends that he does not transfer at this point in his academic career," George explained, he tapped his fingers on the dense wood of Casey's table.

Casey sighed, knowing where this conversation was going. "He doesn't have any family or friends who would let him live with them until he finishes out the school year?" she inquired almost desperately.

He sighed as if the world had been set upon his shoulders, "Unfortunately, no… I think you know where I'm going with this, Miss Mcdonald. I know it's a bit unconventional, but there is really no one else I would trust with my son."

"May I ask why you feel this way, Mister Venturi?" Casey leaned forward in anticipation.

George smiled. "Miss Mcdonald, you're more interested in the way my son performs academically, than how much I can give to the programs at the school, it's difficult to find teachers who have the courage to flunk my son simply because he didn't do the work."

Nodding hesitantly, she heaved a sigh and responded, "I will take him in."

"Excellent! I'll make sure to pay for his living expenses and have the movers come tomorrow with his things. I assume there's an extra room here," he began quickly, standing up and heading toward the door.

"Yes, my computer room, I'll clean it out," she walked over to the door with him.

"Thank you again, Miss Venturi, you are heaven sent," George kissed her cheek and walked out the door.

Blinking in confusion, she wondered what she had gotten herself in to. She cursed herself for being so dang nice, but what else could she have done? Said 'no'? She couldn't risk losing her job. Casey plopped herself back on to her couch and sighed sheepishly. Life just wouldn't stop throwing her curve balls.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: It is in human nature that we want that which we cannot have and for some reason, it entertains us when we read about these things. When in that situation we just become irritated! Hmmm... Poor Derek...**

* * *

The crisp breeze flowed through her long brown locks as she stood on the balcony which was connected to her bedroom. She had her white coffee mug in hand which said in bold letters, "#1 teacher". It was a gift she received when she was a teacher's assistant about a year or two ago. All of a sudden she heard a loud thump coming from the living room and rushed out to see what that was.

"What's going on in here?" she walked out in her yoga pants and loose t-shirt.

The two dark-haired men glanced at Casey; they had dropped a piece of Derek's bed frame on the floor. It appears his bed frame was solid oak, so it was quite heavy. Both of the men were wearing navy blue jump suits, they picked up the dropped long piece of wood and continued in to the room which was next to Casey's. "Sorry about that ma'am, won't happen again," said one of the men walking back out to retrieve the rest of Derek's belongings.

How much does this teenager have? She asked herself as she sat at her table in the kitchen sipping her mug full of warm coffee. As she washed her mug, Derek walked in shouldering his black back pack.

"Kind of small for two people," he mentioned leaning against the counter closest to the exit. "Please tell me there are at least two bathrooms."

She sneered, "I'm sorry, Mister Venturi, but this was all I could afford on a teacher's salary." She could feel his eyes on her which made her extremely uncomfortable. "Why don't you get settled in to your room?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"As you wish," he replied coyly.

She relaxed a bit and thought. _this is a bad idea… _She dried her mug and placed it in to the top cupboard left of the stove. Suddenly she heard a loud shatter in the hallway. _Not again! _She rushed to the scene and found that the movers had accidently hit the light fixture which had hung flush on the low ceiling of the hallway. "Seriously, guys?" she expressed signs of frustration.

"Sorry ma'am," said the heavier set mover.

Casey sighed trying to maintain her composure. "No, it's okay, I'll fix it, it looks like the light bulb and the covering only broke."

"We'll be out of your way in no time, just a few more items," said the lankier looking mover.

All Casey did at that point was nod; she then walked in to her living room sitting herself down in a non-graceful manner. _So much for a relaxing day off…_

Finally after what seemed like forever, the movers left her apartment and there was silence. Smiling, she sank deeper in to her sofa, but the silence would soon be diminished by the blaring of Derek's stereo. Her eyes shot open in annoyance. Sighing, she walked over to his room and stood in the doorway. The door was wide open and he was wearing no shirt as he unpacked one of the many boxes on his naked bed.

At that moment, Casey couldn't help but to stare at his insanely firm abdomen, his broad muscular shoulders, he looked like an Adonis god, but would she ever tell him that? No way! She cleared her throat and exclaimed, "Derek, turn down the music."

He looked up at her and mouthed the word, "what?"

At that point Casey walked over to the large stereo which took up half of his dresser and lowered the volume herself. "You can't play your music that loud, there are tenant rules here," she said calmly through gritted teeth.

He just grinned, grabbed the remote which lay on the bed and turned the music back up. Amazed and quite annoyed at the same time, she exclaimed, "Give me that." She shimmied around the boxes on the floor over to the teen and tried to grab the small contraption that fit in the palm of his hand. He quickly moved his hand, making her miss and held the remote behind his back. _Alright, I'll just unplug it; _she walked over to the stereo, but unfortunately she could not find a plug. It seemed to be running on a battery of some sort, which she could not access as well. Looking over at him, she saw a mischievous smile grace his handsome boyish features and that just made her angry. Without a thought she lunged at him and as he fell, he grabbed her by her wrist making her fall on top of him. Her eyes were squeezed closed until she realized something warm and firm beneath herself. Her eyes opened slowly and there before her she saw Derek just staring at her, that coy smile ever present on his handsome face. He held up the remote and shut the stereo off.

"First night together and you're already on top of me, Miss Mcdonald," he said as if scolding her for being bad.

She scoffed and began to ascend to her feet, but he prevented that by flipping her over as if she were a rag doll, laying his body on top of her. "You prefer the bottom?" he stated more than asked.

She gazed in to his eyes, trying desperately not to feel, not to show any emotion, not giving in to this game he was playing. "Derek," she said calmly. "I am your teacher; you need to respect me as such."

Their facial proximity was so close she could feel his hot breath on her neck, if he were anyone else it would've turned her on, but he was just a kid.

He chuckled lightly got to his feet and helped her up. "Relax, Miss Mcdonald, can't joke around a bit?"

She raised an eyebrow at him and said before walking out, "Keep the music down and don't go to bed too late you have school in the morning."

The next morning, Casey made sure to wake up early enough to shower before Derek woke up, but as she walked from the bathroom to her own bedroom, he walked out in his boxers with his towel in hand. She was already wearing her outfit for the day which was black trousers, heels and a white cotton blouse which tucked in to her pants. The pink belt accented her outfit quite well and her long hair was styled up in a bun.

"Good morning," she said awkwardly and continued the short walk to her room.

"Miss Mcdonald," he stopped her abruptly.

She did not face him, but was listening.

"I know it's completely out of place and I say this with complete respect for you, but I think you are incredibly beautiful," he said almost without any effort.

Casey said nothing for a moment. She honestly didn't know how to address that and that was probably the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to her. What woman doesn't want to be called 'beautiful'? Masking what she was feeling she finally responded, "I'll be in the car, you have 15 minutes." She walked in to her room, closing the door quickly behind her. Leaning against the door she shut her eyes, inhaled then exhaled slowly. She had to snap out of it, keep the upper hand on him. This was all a game to him, some twisted game that he was determined to win. Opening her eyes she glanced at her wrist watch and realized that 15 minutes had passed. Grabbing her satchel she rushed out exclaiming, "Let's go Derek!" Then she realized that he was already outside the door of the apartment.

"You said 15 minutes," he said with a coy smile.

Rolling her eyes she quickly locked her apartment door and made her way down to the car. "I lost track of time."

"Right…" he muttered, following behind her.

The car ride was silent as the two listened to the radio; Casey drove the car through the morning traffic as gracefully as she could. There were a few rough stops on the way, but eventually they arrived at the school on time.

"I'll see you in class," Casey said before rushing away.

Derek stepped out with a sigh and gradually made his way up the steps of the school.

As he walked the hallways of the school, his blonde haired leggy girl friend walked up to him, kissing him on the lips. "How are you handsome?" she inquired, her soft features had a smile on them. She had big blue eyes, plump lips and a narrow nose, quite the conventional skinny model type. She was also wearing a mini-skirt and a grey loose long sleeved sweater; she also wore beige 'ugg' boots.

"Hey Sheila," he greeted her with a fake smile which she didn't seem to notice.

"Did you want to come over later? My parents won't be home," she winked at him seductively.

Not at all fazed, he told her, "I can't, you know I have tutoring."

Sheila put on a pouty face, "Oh come on Der, ditch the up-tight teacher and come over."

"Ditching her isn't as easy as you think," he was almost amused by that fact. He made his way over to his locker which was conveniently next to his first class, which happened to be Cas- Miss McDonald's class. "Look, I gotta get to class, just text me Sheila, I promise we'll go out once mid-terms are over."

"But Derek," she continued to pout.

Sighing and a bit annoyed he walked in to the classroom and saw Casey sitting at her desk, her nose in the curriculum outline. Smiling, he took his seat at the usual desk in the fourth row. He glanced at his phone, five minutes until class started. For the first minute or two all Derek did was stare at the way his teacher bit her bottom lip as she read, how she licked her index finger before she turned the page of her curriculum binder, the way she pushed her black frame glasses up the bridge of her nose when they became too low. The next three minutes he observed her writing examples on the chalkboard and when she made a mistake, she'd rub it off with her fingers and wipe the chalk off her hand on to her trousers which he found horribly adorable. She was probably a keener in high school he assumed. He noticed how her pants hugged the curves of her hips, her thighs were defined through the material of her clothing, but the rest of her legs were hidden beneath them.

Finally the bell rang, bringing Derek back to the cruel reality that he could never have a woman like her… Specifically, he could never have _her_, Casey…


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot and Sheila.**

**A/N: I apologize in advanced for the sloppiness in wordsmithing, but I'm just too lazy to edit anything right now. I hope it's somewhat enjoyable! Characters are OOC and if that's not your thing, you don't have to read. I don't accept flamers/negativity/rude/obnoxious remarks or comments, but I will accept constructive criticism. Thanks for your time! RR!**

* * *

It wasn't at all uncommon for a student to have a crush on a teacher, but was the crush Derek had on Casey _just _a crush? She couldn't help but wonder as she sat at her desk waiting for him to arrive at her homeroom for his hour of tutoring. She glanced at her wrist watch, then at the clock in the room… They were synchronized… _Why is he always late? _She wondered impatiently. Just as the thoughts came in to her mind, Derek walked in abruptly; he sat at the desk in the front row closest to her desk simultaneously dropping his large gym bag.

"I don't get why we just can't have our tutoring sessions at home," he stated without preliminaries.

She looked at him, narrow-eyed and responded, "I would have to pick you up from practice anyway. This way is easier."

Sighing, he shrugged off her answer.

"Is this going to cause tension between us?" she stood commandingly and walked over to his desk. She had kicked off her heels because they were killing her feet.

Derek crossed his arms. "No, I have no problem with it, Miss Mcdonald," he said with a smug expression on his face. "This isn't exactly an ideal situation for me," he murmured.

Sighing in what seemed to be compassion, she leaned against her desk. "Look, my parents are divorced as well. They've been divorced for quite some time now, but sometimes it's for the better."

"Wow… Don't tell me you're one of _those _women," he dropped his hands to the wooden desk top.

Slightly frowning, she asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't want to work things out because things get tough, or you get bored," he replied.

She tucked a strand of brown hair behind her ear, folding her arms across her chest. "Derek, people change, some for the worse. You can't just make someone try to make it work."

"So who didn't want to make it work?" he gazed at her intensely. "Was it your mom?"

Casey just sighed in a melancholy manner.

"It was your dad."

She snapped her head up and gazed at him in wonderment. How did he become so good at reading people? "We're wasting time, Der – Mister Venturi." Damn, she almost did it again. Hopefully he didn't notice. The coy smile on his features indicated that he was well aware of her slip up. She could feel herself slowly losing control of the situation.

"Let's get started then," he grinned as he pulled out his text book from his gym bag.

She turned around to write on the chalkboard and also to hide her embarrassment.

An hour had soon passed, Derek and Casey headed out the doors of the school, to the car and as she drove home she remembered that the light fixture in the hallway was still broken. Seeing as it was only eight o' clock, Casey headed to the nearest hardware store with Derek in the passenger seat.

It was a quaint store in a fairly large shopping center called 'Bills knick knacks'. It was a very generic name for a very generic store. Next to the hardware store was a flower shop; on the other side of it was a bakery.

Casey parked the car. "Waiting in the car?"

As soon as she had said that Derek stood outside, ready to accompany her in to the store. "And leave a beauty like you to fend for herself?"

She rolled her eyes. "Alright Casanova…"

Inside the store, they stood in front of what seemed to be hundreds of light bulbs. Casey couldn't help but wonder why there were so many different light bulbs. Why couldn't they just make one type of light bulb for everything? Perhaps she should've checked the fixture first.

"So…" Derek stood beside her, grabbing one of the many packs of light bulbs from the shelf. "Do you know which one you need?" He read the back of it.

She leaned in to read it as well.

In that moment a woman in her mid forties walked up to them and asked, "Do you and your boyfriend need any help?"

Casey glanced over at the heavy set woman with graying hair. "Oh, he's not my…"

Derek interrupted, "We're having some trouble finding a light bulb."

The woman wearing a red vest with the logo 'Bills knick knacks' on it, replied, "Well I find it best to look inside the fixture and if you can bring the base of the light bulb back with you. I assume the bulb just popped?"

At this point Casey didn't bother correcting the woman who had a name tag that read, 'patty' on it.

"Yeah, the movers accidently hit it," Derek answered quickly.

"I'll tell you a little secret on how to get the base out of the fixture without a hitch," began patty. "Stick a potato up in the socket and just twist it out."

Derek nodded. "Alright well thanks for your help, Patty, we'll be back tomorrow."

Patty smiled and nodded at the couple. Although the conversation seemed like it should've ended there, the older woman just stared at the two. "I hope you don't mind me saying this, but you two are just the cutest couple ever!"

Casey just gave a half-grin and began to walk away.

"Awww… What's wrong, babe?" Derek followed at her heel.

As soon as they were in the car headed back to the apartment, Casey exclaimed, "Are you insane? I can't believe you just did that."

"What," Derek said innocently. "You went along with it." He smiled glancing over at her.

She inhaled, then exhaled slowly trying to regain composure. "You're not going back to that store with me," it was a statement and one she was serious about.

"Why don't you loosen up a bit, Casey?" he said matter-of-factly.

"Oh everything is a game for you, is that it?"

He scoffed, "No, not everything is a game, okay? My parents are getting a divorce, I'm failing English slash your class and my hockey coach is threatening to kick me off the team if I don't get my grades up. If this is a game, where's the restart button?"

Casey felt a bit guilty, but she couldn't just let him get away with it. "Look, there are lines that you cannot cross with me, okay?"

"But you let me call you 'Casey'," he said still as serious as ever.

"If I make a deal with you will you stick to it?" she asked him a bit flustered by his persuasion to be on a first name basis with her.

"Yes, I promise."

"I can't believe I'm saying this," she paused for a moment to take in a breath. "You can call me by my first name inside the apartment walls only, anywhere else it's 'Miss Mcdonald' understand?"

He didn't answer back at first. "Okay, I can live with that."

Back at the apartment, Casey followed Patty's advice; she stood on her three step mini ladder and stuck a potato inside the socket trying to unscrew the light bulb base that was still inside the fixture.

Derek stood at the bottom, with his arms folded across his chest, leaning against his doorpost. "You having some technical difficulty there, Case?" he smiled obviously entertained by her effort to fix things.

"I'm fine, Der," she replied with the emphasis on 'Der'. In an attempt to lean and twist the base out, her foot slipped which caused her to fall and she would have fallen on the floor, but Derek was quick enough to catch her in his strong defined arms.

He had his arms around her waist and she was facing him. "look-out for Klutzilla," he mused as he put her down slowly. "Why don't you let me take over from here?" He grabbed the potato that she managed not to drop as she was falling and unscrewed the base with ease.

She ran her hand through her long hair and said, "I loosened it for you."

He gave a short sigh, "You're welcome." the corner of his mouth rose in a partial grin.

"Go to bed," she turned on her heel and walked in to her bed room, closing the door softly behind her. He was so annoying, so undeniably… Suddenly her phone rang; it was still in her satchel, so she dug for it. The caller ID indicated that it was her sister, Liz calling.

"Hello," she answered less enthused than she wanted to sound. Casey's back was still against her bedroom door as if Derek would just enter without permission. He wouldn't dare… Would he? She shook the thought from her mind and concentrated on the moment at hand.

"It's nice to talk to you too, sis," said the gentle voice on the other end of the line. "I just wanted to see how you're doing."

Casey didn't really want to explain everything that was going on, so she summarized it for her sister which proved to be a bit more difficult than she thought.

"So let me get this straight," Liz paused for a moment. "You have one of your students living with you because of his parents' divorce?"

Casey knew that Liz was worried about the legal issues of the matter. That was the lawyer in her. "I know it's not the typical situation for a teacher, but the boy's father really trusts me and I didn't want to lose my job. His father has a lot of say at the school since he pays for half of the programs there."

"Case, just be careful. He's a male with raging hormones and a vivid imagination, I know for a fact he likes you right about now," Liz said without hesitation.

The older sister gave a nervous laugh. "He's just a kid; you don't have to worry about me. I know for a fact he would never try anything without my consent."

Liz replied, "You have to remember that kids grow up."

With an exasperated sigh, Casey told her sister that she had to be up early for work and that she'd call her later. After she hung up the phone, she changed in to an off-white comfortable, short, cotton night gown. She sank in to her bed with a sigh and almost instantly fell asleep.

Sadly, her slumber did not last very long for she awoke in the middle of the night. She glanced over and looked at the time on her charging phone. _Three o' clock in the morning, _she groaned quietly. She sat up and threw her legs over the side of the bed, her hair long hair was in tangles, but she didn't care. She was just going in to the kitchen for a glass of water.

Peering outside her bedroom, she saw that it was completely dark throughout the apartment. Deciding not to turn on the lights, she felt her way in to the kitchen and once she found the sink, she turned on the dim counter light, retrieved a glass and poured herself some water from the tap. She took a big gulp and sighed feeling refreshed. She placed the cup down on the counter and noticed a figure sitting at her small dining table. "Derek?" she said hesitantly.

The figure stood and closed in on her small body until her back touched the counter. The dim light revealed Derek clad in nothing but his boxers. "I couldn't sleep," he said almost in a whisper.

Casey's breathing suddenly became shallow as she struggled to achieve distance from him by trying to bob around him, but he placed his arms on both sides of her preventing that from happening. "You have school in three hours, you should really get to sleep," she said with a nervous gulp. It didn't help that she was bra-less and wearing a gown with barely covered her panties. Oh god, he was going to try something, but was she strong enough to resist? Even she doubted herself.

Not saying a word, he grabbed her by her waist and effortlessly seated her on the counter. Casey placed her hands on Derek's muscular chest in an attempt to push him away, but he was determined. He grabbed both her wrists and pinned them against the top cupboard doors trapping her, forcing her in to submission.

"Der…"

He leaned in and gently pressed his lips against hers. It was soft and anything but subtle, it drove her senses insane and that's what scared her. If it drove her crazy what did this do to Derek she wondered?

Their lips glided against one another in a battle for dominance. He pushed his tongue in to her mouth, but she would push it out with hers. A grin formed on his lips as he continued to her neck, nibbling on her pulse, making her flinch a bit and at this point he let go of her wrists and held on to her slim waist. He shimmied himself between her legs and she could instantly feel how 'crazy' this had made him.

"Derek, stop," she said pushing him away. "We can't do this."

"Why? I'm not going to tell anyone and no one would find out," he said a bit frustrated.

She hopped off the counter. "You have a girl friend and I'm your teacher! Do you want me to lose my job?" she asked him in a stern tone of voice.

He shook his head. "Of course I don't, jesus, Casey," he turned around and took a breath as if to calm his nerves.

"Not only that, but I'm too old for you, do you really want someone who's ten years your senior?" she asked him crossing her arms, shifting her weight on to one leg.

Derek turned to look at her, but he didn't have an answer for her apparently.

A mere grin graced her beautiful face before she said, "It looks like you haven't thought this through." She began to walk back to her room, when she reached the living room she said, "I'm going to bed, you should do the same."

Casey lay in bed convinced that she had no feelings for that seventeen year old boy. She would never, could never love him… wait a minute… Love? When did 'love' come in to the picture? This was one of her students; this was a lawsuit waiting to happen. No… 'Love' is not a part of this situation. That's what she told herself.

* * *

**P.S. I'll probably change the rating to M to be safe...**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: A short chapter, but a lot going on. Hope you like it! RR!**

* * *

She was fear stricken, having no idea if Derek would stay true to his word and keep their little mishap to himself. Should she just pass him because of what happened? Casey Mcdonald did not want to become another one of these sell-out teachers', she wanted her students to actually learn from her class and succeed. This frustrated her immensely to the core.

As she prepared for her last class of the day, reading her curriculum and jotting examples down on the chalk board, she heard a familiar voice.

"I assume everything is going well, Miss Mcdonald," it was George Venturi dressed in a suit and trench coat as usual.

Turning towards the door in surprise she froze. _Did Derek tell his dad? _Was all she could think of at that moment. Smiling, she tried to conceal her nervousness. "Uh… Yes, everything is going well, Mister Venturi, your son is very smart, he just lacks the motivation," she said slowly placing her curriculum binder down on her desk.

George grinned. "Thanks for saying that, Miss Mcdonald." He stared at her for a brief second before saying, "I would love to get caught up on his progress, perhaps over dinner tonight?"

She blinked her eyes in disbelief. This couldn't be happening right now; maybe he would compromise for a cup of coffee. As she was about to speak, Derek walked in to the classroom abruptly.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" the younger Venturi inquired suspiciously.

Glancing over at the Derek he replied, "I was just asking your lovely teacher out to dinner."

Casey was a bit baffled at that moment, not knowing what to do or say. "Mister Venturi, about dinner," she began. "I think it'd be best if we keep our relationship strictly plutonic."

George smiled. "I like you, Miss Mcdonald," In saying that he walked out of the class room.

With a sigh, she sat down at her desk. She didn't even want to see the expression on Derek's face, but she assumed he was either angry, disappointed or possibly both. There was a sense of disgust that she felt in herself. She couldn't believe that both Venturi's liked her, maybe one more than the other. "Did you want something, Mister Venturi?" she asked Derek, not making eye contact with him.

"I just had a question about the homework, but I guess I'll ask you later," he said calmly, then he ambulated out of the room rather quickly.

She heaved a heavy sigh, placing the palms of her hand to her face in sheer frustration. She really regretted saying yes to taking Derek in, but it was too late. She was stuck in a situation no teacher wants to be in. This was about all she could handle; she decided to text Derek at that moment to tell him that there would be no tutoring that day. To her surprise, he didn't argue. He just responded with an 'okay' and that he would get a ride home from one of his team mates.

Later that night as Casey sat locked inside her room, she stood out on her balcony drinking a mug of hot chocolate with _Baileys_. She definitely needed to relax somehow and what better way to do that with alcohol, right? Okay, maybe not, but it made her feel better at the moment, not to mention she was beginning to feel a little buzzed.

"Casey? Casey, we need to talk," Derek began to knock on her bedroom door.

She giggled, although she didn't know why, and responded, "Well talk then."

"Look, I just want you to know that I'm sorry for coming on to you last night, but you really don't have to worry. No one knows that I live with you." He paused for a moment as if building up some courage. "I also broke up with Sheila, my girlfriend."

Something inside her sparked, but she could not define the emotion at that point in time. "Why?" she asked a bit afraid to ask.

"Casey, please open the door," he said almost in complete desperation.

Part of her wanted to, but the other part said no. She began to reach for the lock on the door and at the last possible moment she pulled back and sat on her bed. "Derek, I can't… You know I can't…"

He sighed, a single tear fell down his cheek which he quickly wiped away as he said in a murmur, "I know, Case, I know. Well… Goodnight then."

She heard the door of his room shut. Why did she feel so wretched? Why did he have to be so mature and put together? She grabbed one of her four soft pillows and screamed in to it in frustration. Derek definitely carried himself differently and acted somewhat like a thirty year old man.

Before Casey realized it, she had fallen asleep with her work clothes still on. It was probably the alcohol she added to her hot chocolate.

_**AAA**_

Meanwhile in Derek's room as he finished his math homework his phone rang. It turned out to be his dad. The young man sighed in dread, "What is it this time?"

"Why does there always have to be an issue when I call you?" George asked a bit amused.

Derek leaned back in his desk chair and sighed. "Isn't there an issue?"

"Der, I really like your teacher," George stated bluntly.

Rolling his eyes, the youth said, "Dad, you're going through a divorce. I really think you're just vulnerable right now and feeling lonely."

"Maybe you're right," George sighed. "I just can't stop thinking about her."

Derek placed his forehead to his desk top in frustration. "Dad, she's like twenty years younger than you," he continued. "You really should just take time for yourself right now."

"It's not like I'm going to marry her," George retorted.

Derek scoffed almost in disgust. "Really… What are you sixteen?"

George laughed. "Come on Derek, your ol' dad is allowed to have fun."

"Look, I have a lot of homework, don't you have work tomorrow?" Derek asked not at all sounding concerned.

"Yeah, I think I may call in, though," George replied.

"What have you been doing since I've moved out?"

"Going out," said the dad quietly.

Derek's head popped up in incredulity. "What the hell, dad, seriously," he exclaimed. Then he realized he said that a bit loud. "Look, I have to go, I'll just talk to you later," Derek then hung up on his dad abruptly. He wasn't at all surprised by how his dad was acting, he didn't actually win 'dad of the year' award. Growing up, Derek mostly had to fend for himself, make his own lunches and sometimes find his own rides to and from school. His mom was no help at all either; she was a feminist and a lawyer, so she was pretty much consumed in her own career. Both of his parents were very selfish and Derek decided at a very young age that he would never be like his mom or dad.

His dad was beginning to piss him off mostly because he had a ridiculous teenage crush on Casey. Another reason was because his dad had totally forgotten that his birthday was on Saturday, his eighteenth birthday to be specific. Did he have any plans? Not really… All he wanted to do to be honest was spend time with Casey, but she was being so distant.

The school week came and went and Saturday fell upon them. Derek had a plan and it was time to commence 'project birthday'. At six o' clock in the morning he blasted his stereo as loud as it can go and almost instantly Casey barged in to his room mostly in annoyance it seemed.

He smiled coyly and turned off the radio. "Morning Klutzilla," he was already dressed and ready for the day.

She appeared to be a bit confused. "Der-ek," she exclaimed angrily.

He kept the smile on his handsome features, stood and said, "Get ready, we're going out."

With an even more confused expression on her face, she inquired, "Where exactly are we going and whose car are you using?"

He sighed and held her by her shoulders and gazed in to her eyes, "Casey, for once could you let someone else be in control? One day is all I ask, please?"

Casey was still in her pajamas and her hair was all frizzy. She rolled her eyes and let out a soft breath. As she walked out of the room she said, "I'll be ready in fifteen minutes."

A bit surprised and yet pleased Derek anticipated how the rest of the day would turn out. He needed to have a bit of fun, even if it was with his klutzy teacher.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: This chapter was a bit intense - for me atleast- I hope you enjoy it! RR!**

* * *

As she promised, Casey was ready in fifteen minutes. She walked out of her room in some comfy blue skinny jeans, sneakers and a sweatshirt. Her hair was down in its natural beautiful splendor.

Derek waited by the door in jeans, sweatshirt and sneakers as well. They were both very casual which was kind of refreshing.

"Okay, I'm ready," Casey dragged herself over to the exit.

"You could look a little bit more enthusiastic," he sighed opening the door for her to walk out.

There in the parking lot was a black SUV and when Derek walked over to it with the key to it Casey exclaimed, "Where did you get this?"

"My savings," he said shortly and hopped in to the vehicle.

"What's the occasion?" she ungracefully climbed in, almost bumping her head as she closed the door.

He snickered at her and replied, "I'll tell you, but not now."

She crossed her arms and said nothing, keeping to her promise of letting him have control the whole day. Though it was not an easy task, she still struggled to let him have his way.

They arrived at a lovely park with lush trees and foliage; there was also a small body of water in the middle of it. Why they were there, Casey didn't know. Did Derek want to go running or what?

"Come on," he found parking, climbed out of the SUV and headed to the trunk.

Casey followed in a slower pace and curious as to what Derek had planned.

He was retrieving something from the back, then he walked in front of her with a medium sized basket and a red plaid blanket. "Let's go have breakfast," he said throwing the blanket over his shoulder.

"A picnic, this is what you woke me up for?" she stated more than asked, but nonetheless followed him through the grassy area to a spot near the body of water. It looked peaceful, serene and undisturbed. Much like the sleep she would have been getting had he not woke her so early.

Derek laid out the blanket over the dewy grass and placed the basket down on it. He sat down first and Casey followed.

"So, you going to tell me now?" she asked as he took out some bagels and a container of cream cheese. He also took out a bowl of nice thin slices of fruit.

He grinned spreading the cream cheese on one half of a bagel with a plastic knife. "Not yet, let's eat breakfast first." He handed her the bagel, then offered her some fruit.

She grabbed a piece of an apple and popped it in to her mouth. It was sweet and tasted great with the bagel. "When did you learn how to eat so healthy?" she asked curiously.

"Well, I'm an athlete and my coach is anal about our eating habits," he replied with a mouth full of food.

Casey nodded understandingly.

"This park is where my parents met, my mom was going for her usual morning jog and my dad saw her as he was driving by in his car. I guess you can kind of say it was love at first sight," Derek out-stretched his legs and leaned back on one arm.

Looking down at her bagel she felt a bit sad for the young man. "Look, I'm sorry about your parents, I really am."

Their eyes locked and a gradual grin formed on his features. "Thanks, Casey." He took another bite of the bagel.

"My parents met through a mutual friend. It wasn't exactly love at first sight," she went on, "my mom didn't even like my dad at first."

"Isn't it funny how someone can just grow on you?" it was more of a statement than a question.

It was a bit indirect, but Casey knew who he was talking about. Was he right though? Was Derek Venturi growing on her? She didn't know and honestly didn't want to stay to find. Standing up abruptly she began to walk away with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Wait, where are you going?" he ran caught up to her and stood in her way.

She stepped around him, but he was fast and got in front of her once more. "This is wrong, Derek, we really shouldn't be going out like this," she said in a stern tonation.

"Like what?" he asked innocently. "We're just two friends going out on a nice Saturday morning."

"Friends," she said incredulously and gave him a sidelong look.

He nodded.

She tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear and looked away, staring at the few morning joggers getting their exercise session in for the day.

"Can we go back before the ants get to the food?" he asked partly amused.

With a sigh she nodded and followed him back.

After breakfast Derek and Casey packed everything up and headed back on the road again. They had been on the road for a few hours this time and Casey knew that she would let Derek all the control for one day, but she couldn't help herself. "How much longer?"

"Not much further," he said patiently.

She let out a soft breath and continued to look out the window. If she didn't know any better they were heading towards… No, it couldn't be…

"Niagara falls," she exclaimed in disbelief.

He smiled at the look of surprise on her beautiful features. "What, you've never been here?"

Trying to remain calm, Casey replied, "Of course, it's just been a while."

He drove the SUV in to a parking stall and climbed out. They walked over to the look-out point and saw the beautiful, large, amazing waterfall. All she could hear was the loud crashing of water, which brought her back to her childhood. She came here as a kid with her mom and dad. Liz wasn't born yet, but she remembered how happy they all were and the memory brought a tear to her eye, one that she couldn't let Derek see.

Apparently he could see something was wrong. "You okay, Case?"

"I'm fine," she inhaled and continued to examine the beautiful scenery.

"Hey," he placed his hand on her forearm. "You can trust me," he said gently.

She glanced over at him and decided to give in. "I just remembered coming here with my parents, before my sister was born," she said turning away from him once more. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and realized that it was Derek's. Feeling a bit uneasy, she walked away, to get a closer view. She peered down at the bottom of the falls and saw a boat. It was extremely close to the bottom of where the water was falling. She could see the white mist from the impact of water.

"Hey…"

She turned around to look at him standing a few feet away, his weight shifted on to one leg and hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Wanna go on a boat ride?" he asked with a smile.

There was a reason why she didn't go on boats, she gets horribly sea-sick, but being there with Derek, made it a little easier. That and the mist from the falls helped a bit. She and Derek were wearing blue rain coats to keep from getting soaked. The boat just seemed to drift closer and closer, which kind of made Casey feel anxious. It didn't help that the falling water was loud and couldn't hear herself think. It was a double-decker boat and the two were crammed on the second deck. They really needed to buy bigger boats or load less people on board. Derek had his arm around Casey's waist quite casually for that matter.

"Isn't this great?" he shouted over the loud crashing water. The liquid dripping down his face and he was also smiling like a five year old.

She just slightly grimaced at him and didn't reply. Okay, now she was beginning to feel a little sick. She desperately hoped that this would be over soon; she just wanted to be off the boat. She just focused on the waterfall, it helped a bit… Helped her not to up-chuck all over the side of the boat.

After their little ride in to the mouth of the falls, Derek caught in to step with Casey, her hair still wet. His hair had dried a bit faster since it was way shorter than hers.

"Hey, everything okay?" he inquired concernly.

She did not slow her pace. "Are you going to tell me why you've driven me hours from home yet?" Even she had no idea why she was angry.

"I just thought it'd be a nice get away with mid-terms coming up and all. I know for a fact that my dad has been stressing you out a bit," he stated trying to keep up with her.

She stopped in her tracks and stared right in to his brown eyes. "Oh please, it's not your father that's been stressing me out…" she trailed off wishing she hadn't blurted that out.

"Are saying, I've been stressing you out?" he ran a hand through his brown hair. "Look, you didn't have to say 'yes'."

She sighed and after saying, "Forget about it." She continued walking towards the SUV.

"No, I'm not going to forget about it," he ran in front of her. "All I wanted was a nice day out with the one person I trust."

"I didn't ask for your trust!" she exclaimed in frustration.

"You didn't have to," he replied just as loud.

They glared at each other for a moment as people passed them by, oblivious to the fact that they were or were not a couple.

"I took you out today because I wanted to celebrate my birthday with a friend, but being your friend is way too complicated," and with that he began to walk away.

She frowned and followed at his heel. "You don't just want to be my friend or that little mishap in the kitchen wouldn't have happened," she said provoking him further.

He rolled his eyes. "I had a moment of weakness, so sue me," he turned to face her once more.

"So you would have no problem if I went out on a date with your dad then," she crossed her arms with a self-satisfied expression upon her lovely countenance.

Derek seemed to just freeze up for he had no response for her about that matter. The two just stood near the SUV for a moment in an awkward silence before Casey finally said quietly, "so it's really your birthday?"

He glimpsed over at her and just nodded.

"Happy birthday," she walked up to his lean figure and hugged him gently, wrapping her arms around his neck and standing on her toes. It took a moment for him to reciprocate, gradually putting his arms around her small fragile form and embracing her tightly.

Casey laid her head on his shoulder when she realized that Derek was now eighteen years old. He was in fact a legal adult, but would that change her feelings about him? Could they be 'just friends'? Could she still treat him equally among her students? What a mess she has made of this… Why did she ever agree to go out with Derek that day?


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Here is another chapter. Short but sweet. Ignore the mistakes, it's 3 o' clock in the morning and I'm about ready for bed lol. Anyway RR! Enjoy!**

* * *

His warmth and how snug she was against his body, the smell of musk and something sweet that she could not figure out. He ran his hand up her spine giving her goose bumps up and down her body. For a moment she became lost in the beauty that was Derek, but she was abruptly pulled back in to reality by one of her students standing in front of her. Casey was in school, sitting at her desk, day-dreaming the 'moment' Derek and her had in the Niagara Falls parking lot over the weekend.

"Miss Mcdonald, could you help me with this sentence here?" the blond haired young man pointed to a page in his text book.

She grinned slightly as she replied, "Of course, Mister Smith."

In that moment she heard the principal over the intercom, he called her to his office. She breathed in a bit anxiously and walked over quickly. The halls were empty, classes were in session, and it was a huge contrast to the hustle and bustle when the lunch bell rang. She could hear the clacking of her stilettos on the cold cement floor, it echoed throughout the hallways. Finally she arrived at the principal's office; she straightened her blazer and let herself in closing the door behind her. He was alone in the dim office, lounging back in his leather desk chair.

"You called for me?" she was wearing a pencil skirt and pink blouse, her long hair was down, one side tucked behind her ear, showing off one of her pearl earrings.

Smiling in a way that did not look familiar to Casey, he stood from his seat, took off his coat and neatly placed it around the head of his desk chair. "I just thought we would become reacquainted once again," said Roger seemingly calm.

"What's this about, Mis-uh-Roger?" she inquired trying to remain tranquil.

"How is the tutoring coming along with Derek Venturi? It seems his grades are improving immensely," the man commented almost as if he were implying something.

Casey frowned in confusion. "Well, he has been working very hard."

"Really," he asked almost incredulously.

"I-I don't know what you're implying, but he has been doing all the assigned work I've been giving my other students if not more," she said clasping her hands in front of her.

Roger nodded and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Just do what you have to do, Casey, and I want you to know that I stand behind you all the way."

Flabbergasted and still a bit confused all she could do was nod.

"You can go," he turned his back toward her, clasping his hands behind his back.

She turned then hesitantly walked out of the office. Did he know? He couldn't possibly know… Could he? She could not take the suspense any longer and made her way over to the school gym where Derek was weight training. Scoping around the gym she saw treadmills, a bunch of weight-lifting contraptions and various other work-out machines with students occupying them. Then finally she saw Derek bench pressing with his coach spotting him. She was quite impressed with how much he was pressing and couldn't help but half-grin. Sitting up he glanced around and spotted Casey standing by the door signaling him over.

"We need to talk," she pulled him out in to the hallway and in to the janitor's closet and turned on the pull string light above them. There was so much stuff in the closet that they had no choice but to stand closely to each other. "Did you tell anyone about anything?" she asked him angrily and without preliminaries.

Derek frowned, he was wearing a muscle shirt, basketball shorts and tennis shoes and he smelled of sweat and aftershave. "No," he said plainly. "Why?"

"Is there something you're not telling me? If there is I will find out whether you tell me or not," she pointed her index finger at him.

He stared at her for a moment with a blank expression.

It drove Casey absolutely crazy that she could not read him as well as he could read her.

"Can we talk about this later?" he asked seemingly desperately.

She regained her composure and replied, "Fine." Before walking out of the closet she warned him, "Don't be late for tutoring today."

"I won't," he replied quickly. Then she was gone.

Casey carried on with the rest of her day, trying her best to act normal and put-together, but who was she kidding? On the inside she was screaming… What was Derek hiding from her? Was he even hiding anything at all or just toying with her emotions?

When it came time for tutoring, she conducted herself in a professional manner and kept herself in control for the most part. There they were in the homeroom, Derek at his usual seat and Casey writing examples at the chalkboard.

"Are you quite done with the ice-queen act, because it's getting old," he asked abruptly interrupting her concentration.

She took one haughty glimpse at him before returning her sight back on the board. "You said we would talk later, I assumed it'd be at the apartment."

He stood up and began to walk over to her.

"Sit back down, Mister Venturi," she demanded and yet found herself stumbling over her words.

He looked around. "We're alone now, so let's talk," he said matter-of-factly.

She shook her head slowly. "Not here, our hour is almost over, let's not waste it."

"Fine," he slid back on to the seat of his desk.

The other half of the hour seemed to pass quickly, before Casey knew it they were walking in to her apartment. Maybe there was a way she could avoid this… She quickly began her escape to her room, but felt a tug by her wrist, then after felt her body being slammed against the entrance door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Derek had her pinned by her arms.

"Listen Derek, I've decided that I don't want to know," she said trying in a cheery tone, trying to mask her nervousness and fear.

He released her from his grasp and said, "You don't have to be afraid of me, I would never hurt you."

Casey just stood there, Derek standing in between her and her bedroom.

It was silent for a moment before he continued talking. "There's no easy way to say this, but you're not the only teacher I've uhm…" he blurted out and could not finish the sentence.

Her eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

"There was an incident at my other school and let's just say there's a reason why my dad is so generous to this high school I'm at now," Derek explained carefully. "But you have to believe me when I say it's different with you."

She scoffed. "Different? How is this different?"

He was at a loss for words which was completely uncharacteristic of him. "It just is, trust me."

"Trust you?" she repeated. "How could I trust you when you've been keeping something like this from me?" she threw her hands up in frustration. "So is this what you do? Seduce teachers? Is it all just a sick game?"

Derek quickly walked up to her and slammed her against the door once more, this time with a little more force. "You have no fucking idea what happened," his gaze darkened. "She seduced me…"

Her gape softened upon him as she began to feel like an idiot.

He let her go and exclaimed, "God, Casey, why can't you see that I am…"

His sentence was cut off by the doorbell.

She was almost afraid to ask, "You are what?"

He brushed his hair with his finger and replied, "Never mind, I'll be in my room." With that he walked away, leaving a puzzled Casey to answer the door.

This situation was becoming more and more complicated as time passed. So she wasn't the only teacher, but she didn't know if she felt disgusted or jealous?


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Got a few hours of sleep, woke up and wrote this chapter. Hope it'll suffice. I feel like I should warn you of some sexual content, so you can skip this chapter altogether if you like. RR! Until next time!**

* * *

Casey answered the door and there stood a handsome young man probably in his early twenties with dark hair and a fair complexion. He was also wearing a nice dark grey suit with no tie.

"Can I help you?" she inquired curiously and a bit annoyed at that.

"Uhh… Perhaps you could help me out, I'm looking for Derek Venturi," the young man said rather politely.

She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Who's asking?"

"His brother," the young man smiled and placed his hand out for her to shake. "Edwin Venturi, you must be the teacher."

Just as she was about to shake his hand, Derek walked out of his room not too pleased to see his older brother. "What're you doing here?" he had his hands in his pockets.

Edwin let himself in. "Is that anyway to greet your big brother, come here." He pulled Derek in to a rough yet awkward hug.

Derek pulled away and asked, "Dude, seriously, why are you here?"

"Can't I just visit my little bro and see how he's doing?" Edwin tousled Derek's hair.

"Bro, not the hair," said Derek instinctively dodging his hand.

Casey had closed the door at this point and asked, "So… You're visiting?" She confronted Edwin arms still folded over her chest with a firm expression on her features.

"Yeah, I hope you don't mind, I'm on spring break, my parents…"

Casey held up her hand, "I know about the divorce." She sighed. "Okay, you can stay, but clean up after yourself; you can either sleep in Derek's room or on the couch. I'm going to bed." She then walked in to her room and shut the door, locking it.

"She's a bit much," Edwin said almost in a whisper.

Derek sighed and nodded. "To say the least," he said staring at her door, then after a moment set his gaze back on his brother. "You got any luggage or anything?"

"Yeah, it's in my car, is that your new SUV outside?" Edwin asked as they headed out the door to retrieve his suit cases.

Derek nodded. "Uh, yeah, birthday present to myself."

"Does dad know?" Edwin inquired but didn't seem to really care.

"Dad's in another world right now," Derek replied in annoyance.

They walked up to a royal blue Nissan 350Z, popped open the trunk and took Edwin's two suitcases up to the apartment. Derek couldn't understand why Edwin wanted to spend Spring break with him and his keener teacher, but he was about to find out.

"So are you gonna tell me why you're here, Ed?" Derek stood by his bed with his arms crossed.

Edwin sat down on the desk chair and replied, "Look, it's really difficult to be around mom and dad right now. I mean, I know I haven't been the 'big brother' type, but we're still family right?"

"Yeah, right," Derek said slowly. "Have you heard from Marty?"

Edwin shook his head. "Last I heard she deployed to Japan."

Derek nodded and was suddenly overcome with worry for his oldest sister. She joined the military (**not going to say which branch because I don't know much about the Canadian military so work with me**) right out of high school and had been gone for 4 or 5 years. Sure he saw her once a year and spoke to her over the phone occasionally, but that was never enough. Fact of the matter was that he missed her. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder and then heard Edwin's voice, "I know, Der… I miss her too."

"Just please don't hit on Casey, dad has already made a pass at her," Derek said in a stern tone of voice.

"Really… Dad? Well, I can't say I blame the man. She's quite the hottie," Edwin said in sly manner, he fiddled with his thumbs.

Derek rolled his eyes. "Come on, dude, I know she's beautiful."

"Wait a sec," Edwin studied his brother for a moment. "Do you like her?"

"What?" Derek sputtered, "No!"

Smiling coyly, Edwin leaned back in the seat. "You do! You have a fetish for teachers."

Derek sighed. "That was one incident!"

"And this is a similar one," Edwin added.

Derek sat down on his bed. "Look, Casey's been a great friend and teacher; I may actually have a shot at a scholarship."

"Uh-huh," Edwin mumbled incredulously. "Anyhow I'm beat, think I'll take the couch."

"No, don't be ridiculous, bro, I'll sleep on the couch," Derek insisted.

After a bit of back and forth fighting for the couch, Derek finally won. He changed in to his grey cotton sleep pants, brushed his teeth, grabbed a pillow and the extra blanket he had brought and settled in to the cushiony sofa. It took him a while, but he eventually fell asleep.

In the middle of the night he was awaken by clacking dishes in the kitchen, he went to go see who it was and of course to his non-surprise it was Casey grabbing a drink of water. It was like a ritual, but he really didn't mind. She was wearing a fitted white tank-top and black pajama shorts, her hair was down and pulled over to one shoulder.

"I'm sorry I woke you," she said not turning to look at him.

"You didn't," he stated leaning over on his elbows on one of the counters and yawned briefly. "This is becoming a routine, our little rendezvous'." He smiled mischievously.

After placing the glass in the sink she turned around to face him, she clearly wasn't wearing a bra. Was she trying to drive him insane? Was she trying to tempt him to lose control? He could already feel his body responding strongly to the way she was dressed.

"Stop staring at me like that," Casey said firmly.

"What do you expect when you dress like that?" Derek said in exasperation and before he could control what he was doing he had walked closer to her and held her by her waist. "You are so gorgeous it makes me insane," he placed his forehead on hers.

Pulling away quickly, she said, "No, this can't happen," and made her way back to her room. She wasn't expecting Derek to follow. Derek wasn't expecting Derek to follow, but he did, closing the door softly behind him and locking it so that his brother didn't wake up.

"What are you doing?" Casey asked in a panic. "You need to get out," she said pushing him towards the door.

In one swift movement Derek lifted her by her waist and laid her on the bed with him on top of her. "Stop fighting this, Casey…" he made sure that she could feel his arousal and rubbed it on her womanhood.

She let out a soft moan of ecstasy. "We can't, Der…"

He grind his manhood harder in to her hips, making her whimper, making her feel his whole length, arousing himself even more. He caressed her neck with his lips, sucking in places that made her gasp in pleasure. Kissing her jaw line, Derek's rhythm grew faster and her quiet cries of pleasure became more constant. God she was beautiful beneath him… Both of their breathing became intense as he gently bit her lip and fondled her breast. She arched in to him apparently as lost in the moment as he was. Their foreheads touched as both began to feel their climax. How he wanted to be in her, feel her warmth, feel her wetness against him.

"Uhhh… Der-ek," she moaned his name and he instantly knew that she was almost there and so he placed his hand on her tail bone, spreading her legs further apart from each other, gaining more access to her swollen clitoris. "Oh… my… you're gonna make me…" her head fell back as she screamed a silent ecstasy. Derek could feel her body tense beneath him, which brought him over the edge, his stomach tensed up to the point where he could no longer hold it in any longer, he collapsed on to her after releasing himself in to his pants.

Derek rolled off of her, not too sure of what just happened, but was quite content. Casey on the other hand looked a bit distraught as she looked over at him.

"What's wrong?" he asked genuinely concerned.

"Nothing," she sighed. "You should try and get some sleep," she climbed under the covers of her bed and lay down.

"Alright," Derek knew that she needed some space and time to think this all out. He needed time to think this through… What was he thinking? He walked out of her room, shutting the door as gently as he could.

"So…"

Derek spun around in startlement and saw his brother standing in the doorway of his room with his arms crossed in a smug manner. The younger Venturi was at a loss for words once again.

"Friends huh," Edwin stated more than asked.

Sighing, Derek casually walked past his brother, grabbed a fresh pair of pants and walked in to the bathroom closing and locking the door behind him.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I had to revise this chapter because I caught an embarrassing error! Thanks to the reviewers who caught it, you guys are hired as my editors haha... Hope this chapter will suffice for now. Right now I'm working two jobs, going to school and working on an outline for my book that I hope to finish before the summers over. Then I have this, which is relaxing and I don't really take too seriously... Anyway, enough about me, read on! I love reviews!**

* * *

Edwin took Derek out to dinner on his last day in town. They ventured out and found a cozy little burger joint that was near the mall. As they sat in a window booth they conversed and joked around like they did when they were just kids.

Derek would never admit it, but he missed these moments with his older brother. The bickering and mischief the two would make as children would drive their parents insane. One thing or person Derek could not get out of his mind was Casey and the ridiculous orgasmic dry humping that took place a few days back. Things have not been the same since that night; she seemed to be cold and withdrawn towards him. Something he hadn't had the chance to talk to her about due to Casey's stubbornness and resistance in talking about it.

"So what's going on with Casey?" Edwin inquired with a mouth full of burger.

Derek fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat and just stared down at his untouched plate of food for a moment. "I don't know, man…" he trailed off and ran a hand through his hair. "She hasn't been herself lately."

Edwin grinned. "She's scared bro."

Nodding hesitantly, Derek agreed. "Yeah, I know," he sighed.

Edwin took another bite of his food.

"I don't know what to do, I mean, I think I completely screwed up, god why do I have to be so hormonal," Derek cursed himself.

"Dude, calm down, you're eighteen, not twenty-eight," Edwin stated firmly.

Derek moved his plate and placed his forehead to the table in frustration. "Damn that age difference," he murmured.

Smiling in utter amusement, Edwin put in, "Der, you just turned eighteen, so she doesn't have to worry about the legal part of it."

"So what should I do?" Derek muttered almost in desperation.

Edwin shrugged. "The ball is in her court…"

With a sigh, Derek kept his forehead to the table. He wasn't at all a patient guy and here he was in a position where he had no choice but to wait. He didn't like this… Not one bit.

**AAA**

Derek and Edwin went back to the apartment, packed up the older Venturi's car and said their good-bye's to each other. Derek was sad to see his brother go, but he'd have his bed back, the couch was giving him a back-ache.

"Take care of yourself, bro and you know I'm only a phone call away," Edwin pulled his younger brother in to a masculine, rough hug.

Derek nodded and replied, "Yeah, you too, Ed."

Edwin climbed in to his car and drove off. Derek stayed in the middle of the parking lot in deep contemplation of their conversation earlier. The teenager had never been so confused in his entire life. He'd also never felt this way for any girl, yet alone woman. Why did this have to be so complicating?

Casey wasn't back from work yet, she had told him that she had a lot of grading to do, which he knew was true. She was serious about her career; she was serious about her life. Derek sat on one of the steps of the staircase leading to the apartment and decided to wait for her arrival.

**AAA**

She was blaring music, but it didn't keep her from hearing her own thoughts… She still thought about it, she still thought about him. This was wrong, not to mention she could lose her job, she couldn't risk that, could she? This whole situation confused her and she began to doubt her ability to make rational choices. All she wanted to do was get back to her apartment, take a shower and get to bed.

While her mind was on Derek, her instincts drove her in to the parking stall she usually occupied, then she exited the car and began her ascent up the stairs, but not before seeing Derek sitting on the top step with his elbows resting above his knee caps.

Her mind seemed to just freeze as she couldn't find words to fill the awkward silence between them. She could feel her heart in her throat and her palms began to sweat. _Just stay calm… He's just a boy… He's another one of your students… _She thought as she regained her composure and walked up the steps. "Mister Venturi," she said coldly.

He stood quickly, "we need to talk."

Casey made her way in to the apartment as he followed, awaiting a response.

A bit irritated, he grabbed her arm and said, "Don't ignore me, Casey."

She closed her eyed and took a deep breath as if to prepare her for the next moment in time. She turned to face him; her hair was up in a loose messy bun, her shirt un-tucked from her trousers. She threw her large purse on to the sofa and said, "Derek, I don't have time for this."

"Just hear me out," he paced around for a moment. "Casey, I know that you regret what happened between us." He seemed to just study her for a moment. "But we can just pretend it never happened, if that's what you want."

He was giving her a chance to have a clean slate, but was there a catch? There had to be something attached to his offer, right? She crossed her arms suspiciously, "Really? Who do I have to kill?"

He grinned handsomely which could make any girl weak in the knees. "No one, I just know how important your career is to you," he replied sincerely.

There was a brief moment of silence between them as Casey thought carefully about his offer. Is this what she really wanted? Being the safe and cautious person she is, Casey finally replied, "Alright, I accept."

Derek smiled and said, "Great, now things can just go back to the way they were, right?"

She nodded, "right," and forced a smile of assurance for him. "So, the spring dance is approaching rapidly, do you have a prospective date?" she asked him curiously.

He shook his head, "no."

"You should take Sheila," Casey suggested quickly. "I mean, why not, right?" she shrugged.

Derek let out a short breath and replied, "Yeah, I guess I'll think about it." He added before she could walk out, "You should try going out with Mister Thomas from PE. He seems interested in you."

"Thank you, I'll think about it." she smiled at him then retreated to her room. She leaned her back against the door and sighed unsure of the decision she had just made. What had she just done pushing Derek to go out with Sheila like that? Shaking her head, escaping her unreasonable thoughts, she began to prepare for bed.

**AAA**

Derek lay on his bed with his hands resting behind his head. He was undeniably hurt, yet still hopelessly in love. How the hell was he going to control his crazy raging hormones? He could just go out with Sheila again and pretend she's Casey, but that just wouldn't feel right… What other option did he have after all? He couldn't free himself from Casey's grasp; she was just so perfect and so wrong all at the same time. He knew one thing for sure; he definitely would love a future with her.

His cell phone rang, interrupting his thought process. "Hello," he answered. Who could be calling him at this time of night? He didn't even bother looking at the caller ID.

"Der, what the hell have you been doing dude?"

The voice sounded familiar. "Sam?"

"Yeah!" was the response.

Derek sighed in to the phone, "Dude, you just saw me at school."

"Barely," Sam's deep voice interjected. "I feel like you dumped me without actually dumping me," he mused.

Derek chuckled. "Dude, that is so gay."

Sam laughed. "How has it been?"

"It's been…" Derek trailed off. He didn't feel like explaining his whole living situation and especially not Casey. I mean, sure, Sam was his best friend, but he couldn't take a chance. "It's been okay," he finished.

"I can imagine, with your parents' divorce and stuff…" Sam said awkwardly.

"I'm pretty beat, dude, I'll just see your gay ass at school tomorrow," Derek said jokingly, he knew Sam meant well and was just concerned for his best friend.

"Alright dude, talk to you later," Sam said before hanging up the phone.

Derek took a deep cleansing breath as he placed the phone at his side and closed his eyes. He didn't bother changing his clothes; he was way too depressed to do anything really. All he wanted to do was forget about everything. His dad's stupidity and obsession with young women, his mom's stubbornness and selfishness, even Casey… He wanted to forget about loving her, forget that he kissed her soft naturally pink lips, that he touched her soft sun-kissed skin and the smell of her long, thick, wavy auburn hair… He just wanted to forget about it all and that's what he was determined to do…

**AAA**

The following day as Casey sat in the teachers' lounge she spotted the PE teacher Derek suggested that she date. He was sitting down by the window, soaking in the warmth of the sun and eating a sandwich. His name was Will Thomas and he had a very toned body, handsome dark features and dark brown hair. He wore black track pants and a fitted black t-shirt which exposed his well defined pectoral muscles. A well built man indeed and on the younger side of the age spectrum.

She sat beside him with her lunch sack and smiled at him, "Nice day out."

Will looked up at her, a look of surprise on his features, which quickly diminished as he said, "You're right, it is." He smiled, "How are you today, Miss Mcdonald?"

"I'm doing well and please, call me Casey," she insisted.

He took a swig of his orange juice bottle and grinned, "Alright, Casey it is and by all means call me Will."

There was a brief silence between the two before Will asked, "So what brings you to this side of the teachers' lounge?"

Casey laughed quietly. "Am I not allowed over here?"

"No, of course you are," he replied a bit amused.

"I don't know, you eat lunch alone here every day almost, so I just thought it'd be a polite thing to join you," she said trying to sound logical.

He just couldn't seem to stop smiling at her and she had to admit that he had a very cute smile. _Not as cute as Derek's smile though… _The evil thought just snuck its way in, making her feel guilty for talking to Will.

"Thank you for being so polite," he chuckled in delight. "I'm afraid I must confess that it's been a while since I've communicated with a beautiful woman."

She glanced at him surprised by his flirtiness. "Nice line, Will," she teased him. "Listen, I don't really get out much these days, so would you like to go out for a drink some time?"

Will was surprised by her forwardness. Even Casey was surprised by her forwardness. Was she doing this because of Derek? Of course she was…

"Well Casey, I would love to get a drink with you some time," he leaned over to her before he stood up and said, "I have to get to class, meet me at 'The Bulls-eye' whenever you're done here, I'll be there waiting."

As Casey watched him walk out of the teachers' lounge she began to doubt herself once again and the decision she made to pursue a relationship with Will. It didn't have to be anything serious; it could just be something to take her mind off of a certain someone. She tried to justify her actions, but she knew that she was just using the poor guy.

**AAA**

It soon came time for Derek's tutoring session with his favorite teacher. As he sat in the classroom alone with Casey, he couldn't shake the feelings he had for her. They were just so strong… He felt powerless…

"Derek, I took your advice and asked Mister Thomas out," Casey said bluntly, not looking him in the eye.

His heart sank in to his stomach and he suddenly felt sick. "Really," was all he could say. "That's good," he faked a smile. "I took your advice and asked Sheila to the dance." Well... He was going to ask Sheila out, but he'd never tell Casey that. He wanted to assure her that he was doing well in moving on just as she was.

"I'm glad," Casey said sounding a bit over-cheerful.

There was an awkward silence between them. Derek wished he could just stop feeling, but that seemed to be impossible in itself. He stared down at his fiddling thumbs before he looked up at her and said, "Shall we continue with our lesson then?"

She nodded. "Of course," she stumbled over her words a bit before saying, "turn to chapter eight in the text and you'll see some examples…"

Derek's breathed in deeply and slowly exhaled, trying to gather his rational thoughts and empty out the illogical ones. Most of what Casey was saying about the lesson wasn't computing. He began to doubt his ability to pass all his classes and graduate. He had to graduate, he had to get in to a good college so he can get a good stable job, marry Casey and start a family with her. It seemed so far off, would this plan follow through or would he just settle for what he could get? That was the question…


End file.
